2d Torments produced by wickedness in small county (8)BEDEVILS – The definition is a verb. The short form of the name of one of the Home Counties is wrapped around another word for wickedness.

3d Talk that you may have at breakfast, say (6)WAFFLE – Idle and pointless talk is also a variety of breakfast food, often served with syrup.

4d A myth about maker of black cars costing reasonable amount (10)AFFORDABLE – A (from the clue) and a myth that might have been written by Aesop, wrapped around the maker of cars which you could have in any colour so long as it was black.

5d Show respect meeting top lady in sanctuary (5)BOWER – A gesture of respect followed by the regnal cipher of our top lady.

6d Son has sadly felt confined, needing to become assured (4-9)SELF-CONFIDENT – Son followed by an anagram (sadly) of FELT CONFINED.

8d Perform in Devon river, darling (7)EXECUTE – A river in Devon which flows into the Channel, followed by ‘darling’ or ‘attractive’.

12d Liking to have page introducing information book? (10)PREFERENCE – Page followed by the generic term for books like dictionaries or encyclopaedias.

14d Lodge a protest with hesitation, being more modest (7)DEMURER – A word meaning ‘lodge a protest’ or ‘decline to follow a suggestion’ followed by an expression of hesitation.

15d Speakers being sentimental, then almost brusque? (8)TWEETERS – These are part of your hi-fi system, complementing the woofers. Another word for ‘sentimental’ or ‘cloying’ followed by another word for ‘brusque’ with its final letter removed.

17d Rubbish that you may see in pigsty? (6)LITTER – Double definition, the second being what a sow produces.

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51 comments on “DT 29029”

Lovely puzzle from the Friday master. Two great clues in 16a and 17a and a new word in the card game in 18d.
So i shall make Shropshireblokes day by finding no fault whatsoever with this super crossword.
Thx to all
**/****

I couldn’t believe we had all the hints today, until I realised that it’s Friday not Saturday. That’s what having all the family around you does to your brain. We were treated to another pirate today, at least that went straight in. Many thanks to Giovanni and to Deep Threat.

I thought this was going to be completed in record time with hardly any thought having to be given to it – that is until I reached the card game (my last one in) and it probably took me a third of the time solving that one clue that the whole of the rest had taken. I’d never heard of it and the word for serious wouldn’t come to me so had to resort to filling in letters until I had something that I could look up. Enjoyed that final little tussle. Many thanks to Giovanni and DT

Lovely lightish puzzle, just right for a sunny Good Friday. We had two or three of the usual Friday obscurities but no complaints as eminently guessable from the wordplay. I liked the misdirection in 8d but as RD says..cute/dear..umm. I also liked 17a, along with 14 and15d but my favourite was 20a for its simplicity and surface. 2.5*/3.5*

Very pleasant end to the week. I was pleased to confirm my answer to 18d – never heard of that card game. That pirate has appeared here before, methinks. I liked 11a and 15d especially, but top spot to 17a. Unusual for me to like an anagram but was a very clever clue all round. I usually like a Giovanni very much: he done it again.

An enjoyable puzzle ** for difficulty, therefore much less difficult than is usually the case on Friday so thanks to Giovanni. I have heard of the card game and I believe it has featured in a crossword before. I wasnt keen on cute either. Thanks to Deep Threat and a Happy Easter to everyone.

Saint Sharon thinks that I am cute (I have just asked her). I am also dear to her. The anagram at 17ac is a joy. I didn’t spot the anagram indicator until the end. Thank to MrG for the puzzle. Thanks to MrD for the review. It’s Easter weekend so time for lots of fun. Play nicely children and I will see you on Monday

Light & good fun perhaps could have done with a tougher challenge. Means more decorating gets done I suppose.
Although an anagram 17a I thought was clever so is my COTD..
Thanks to Giovanni and DT for the succinct review.
Suppose BD is still on cloud 9 after Wednesday’s result. Superb game between two teams committed to playng football (sadly too often my lot seem committed to mediocracy and the size of their pay deal). Pity one team had to lose really.

Nice puzzle, not too hard. Found the card game in the end. First of all googled card games beginning with O but no luck. Then took a punt on the word and bingo so the google search a waste of time. Agree with Jane that 19a and 14d a bit iffy.

Lovely day here in North Norfolk so out in the sun to continue gardening.

I had a cold feeling once the North half had gone in quickly that dear G may have a couple of wolves waiting at the bottom – and so he did! Both the card game and the bird had to be looked up, which helped direct me to that cheeky anagram at 17.

Otherwise a lot of fun and the tiny grid was darling.

Is there a reason why black cars evokes that particular manufacturer? Practically all family cars were that colour mid C20 weren’t they?

Failing to spell the second half of 6d correctly did not help at all! D’oh! Otherwise an enjoyable solve from DG with either 4d or 17a being worthy of top clue status.
Thanks to the Don, and to DT for the review.

For once I only had one little tiny bit of my usual Friday trouble and that was missing the anagram at 17a for ages.
19a took a while – wasn’t sure which of the numerous possible ‘abouts’ to bung into the anagram.
No other problems although I’d never heard of the card game, or had forgotten it.
No particular favourite so thanks to Giovanni and to DT.
Didn’t have time to do yesterday’s crossword on the right day so keeping that as a reward for later when I’ve dug up still more brambles.

**/****. An enjoyable solve although like some others I spent a lot of time getting 18d. I then needed to look it up and first got the gradation of colour particularly in hair styles. A more careful search yielded the card game. You live and learn. Thanks to Giovanni and DT.

Of all things, I couldn’t solve 1d – definitely going senile.
Anyone who read Georgette Heyer books as a teenager will have come across the card game! Had to dig deep to remember that.
My fave was 15d, and the anagram at 17a was very slick.
Thanks to Giovanni for the fun and to DT for the hints and pics.

We have sun in Oxford but I have to say that I’m not enjoying it because it’s all wrong. It’s too dry and too hot for the time of year (certainly for gardeners) and surely also for anyone with any sense it’s all really rather scary.
You can all call me an old grumpy misery if you like – I can take it – I’m tough!!

After a bit of a grind three quarters were completed but then it was stormy in the SE mainly due to failure to solve 17a which I actually don’t really like. I didn’t know the 18d card game and I had reservation about 17a. I wonder how many people have 3d for breakfast – I haven’t since my time in NY. Thank you DG and DT. Happy Easter everyone.

2*/3* for a light Giovanni on Good Friday, galloped on until a couple held me up in the southern half,,, 18d a new one on me. Favourites 6d & 14ac
Many thanks & a Restful happy Easter to all the setters & reviewers who enthral & entertain us….& BD for the blog!!

An enjoyable offering that I found to be pretty straightforward until I came to a grinding halt in the SE corner. Didn’t know the card game, took too long to spot the anagram for the saw, and just couldn’t get the rubbish. That said I finished in about ** time, so perhaps the time taken over those 3 clues just seemed like longer.

I did better than most Fridays so can’t really complain. Didn’t care for 8d, 19a, and the 17th century card game. Before my time 😏
Rest of the puzzle was a pleasant challenge, thanks to Giovanni and Deep Threat.

Another fun puzzle from Giovanni, much closer to my cryptic puzzle solving ability than his Toughie was earlier this week. I did get a couple of mental blockages which slowed me down for quite some while when attempting to finish off the bottom right segment. 17a also gets my vote for COTD simply because it totally beat me – couldn’t see the anagram at all. I echo the comments made by Jon S, although the card game did eventually come to mind as it has previously appeared in a past crossword puzzle.. Thanks to Giovanni and DT

Great crosswords this week.
Didn’t get a chance to comment much but thanks to all the setters and bloggers for bringing us such pleasure and help.
Thought the Giovanni toughie was from Jay as two clues involving France were located in the same place as his Love and Hate from wednesday and today’s Notabilis toughie from Giovanni as his name appeared in the puzzle.

Thanks to Giovanni and to Deep Threat for the review and hints. I enjoyed this one very much, but found it very tricky. Needed 5 hints to finish. Couldn’t think of the drink for 13a. Didn’t realise 17a was an anagram, and still couldn’t do it with the fodder, and all the checkers in! Knew that 20a started with th, but couldn’t get the synonym for cheats. Couldn’t get the synonym for darling in 8d. Had never heard of the card game in 18d, and once again couldn’t get the synonym for serious. Favourite was 16a. Was 4*/3* for me.

Oh dear I was overconfident and came unstuck. I blame the sun. Firstly when I had the second letter of 6a I instantly thought of another pair who were popular in America. Completely missed the lurker. Only clicked when I eventually solved 7d. Other one wrong was 1d. I was completely on the wrong track and found a word I did not know but which fitted. Could not fully parse so looked at the hint which sorted me out. Thanks setter and Big D.